Kaeri Tai
by Meitantei Lili
Summary: COMPLETE! After years of struggle, Kudou Shinichi will finally be reunited with Ran. But there are still obstacles...and a murder case to solve! Mystery fic - Read and Review! Note - Title means 'Coming Home'
1. Phone Call

Minna kon'nichi wa! This is Meitantei Lili, here to present you with another story! (Heehee, that rhymed) I hope that you'll like this story.I came up with the idea in Algebra class ^_^ 

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Detective Conan. Well, that's obvious, considering that I'm not exactly Aoyama-sensei.

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**Prologue ~  The Phone Call**

_It has been seven years since that fateful night, when Kudou Shinichi was forced to take  APTX-4869 and turned into a seven-year-old child again. After six years of struggle, Edogawa Conan, with the help of his friends and family, has exposed the Black Organization of their crimes, and the organization has been disbanded, the members captured. Edogawa Conan and Haibara Ai were brought to the United Kingdom for tests, for hope that an antidote may be found. Before they  left, Conan had informed Ran of everything. However, just knowing that Conan is Shinichi isn't enough. She still had to wait patiently for him to return from the United Kingdom._

_A year later, the experiments finally yielded a result-a permanent antidote for the apotoxin. Conan took the antidote and returned to Kudou Shinichi, and Haibara Ai returned to Miyano Shiho. She decided to remain in the U.K. to research for the International Scientific Society of Medicines and bid Shinichi, who was returning to Japan, farewell._

_And so, this is where our story begins._

~          *            ~            *            ~

_Ring, ring._

"Moshi moshi," Ran answered her cell phone. She knew who it would be; no one else would call so late.

"Ran, it's me."

"I know."

Silence.

"Guess what?"

"What?" Ran asked. He sounded...excited about something.

"I'm coming home.tomorrow."

Tears came to Ran's eyes. "Finally," she whispered. 

She could almost _hear_ his smile. "Yes.finally," he replied.

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Yes, yes, yet another short prologue.sorry guys. But hey, at least I'm posting the prologue AND the 1st chapter at the same time, ne? 

Well, what do you think? Please review review review review review review review review review review review review review review review review review review review review!!!

Thanks for reading!


	2. Emergency Landing

Whew! I can't believe that I'm writing Chapter 1 already! The prologue sure didn't take long ^_^ I still don't know how this story will turn out (it's not planned or anything, unlike MT .) So you'll just have to read my spontaneous ideas!! Heehee.

On with the chapter!

**Disclaimer:** Class, repeat after me: I do not own Detective Conan. Are you getting the idea?

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**Chapter 1 ~ Emergency Landing**

_I'm going home! _was all that Kudou Shinichi could think. About a year of separation from his beloved Ran, he was finally returning to her. He couldn't wait to see her again.especially now that he has returned to his seventeen-year-old body.

After a year of being used as an object of experimentation, he was ever so ready to plop down on his bed and surround himself with the musty smell of old books that were in his bookcase. He missed everyone so much-Ran, Agasa-hakase, even Ayumi, Ginta, and Mitsuhiko. He felt sorry that the kids would have to say goodbye to Conan forever, but he also knew that they would have a Shinichi-niichan from now on.

He yawned. Being excited can be tiring.sometimes. Without further thought, the famous detective turned over and fell asleep.

_Shinichi steps off the plane and sees Ran. "Ran!" he shouts. "Ran, I'm home!"_

_Ran turns around and smiles happily at him. She opens her mouth and shouts "Shinichi", but he can't hear her. He runs toward her with his arms stretched open, and she is running toward him. He almost reached her...almost there...he was ready to sweep her up in his arms..._

_He ran past her. No, not past her-he ran _through_ her! Why? Was he dead? Was he...a ghost?_

_Ran realized what happened as well. She dropped to the ground, unstoppable tears falling from her eyes..._

_Shinichi stared at his hands. They were solid! He touched his suitcase. He could feel it! So why wasn't he able to touch Ran? He turned around to look at her, but she was walking away. He called out to her, but she didn't hear...she just walked away. He ran toward her, trying to catch up with her. After all, she was walking quite slowly. But he could never catch her. Suddenly, he was falling off a cliff. Ran had finally turned around to see him fall-she was standing in the clouds! A sad smile appeared on her face as she waved goodbye to him..._

Shinichi gasped and woke with a start. Looking around him, he realized that he was just on the plane and breathed a sigh of relief.

But then, an announcement came over the speaker...

"Attention everyone. We have encountered a slight problem and will be landing in Salisbury shortly. We apologize for the inconvenience."

Shinichi frowned. What could be wrong? _I guess I should check it out...the announcer's voice didn't sound normal. Could it be a serious technical problem? _He stood up and made his way toward the cockpit. To his surprise, Takagi and Satou were there as well.

"Satou-san! Takagi-san!" he greeted them. "What are you guys doing here?"

They looked embarrassed. "Um..." their voices faltered.

Shinichi had a suspicion of what was going on. "Did Inspector Megure send you two here to watch over me?" he asked angrily. They nodded, guilty. He sighed. "Well, I should thank him...Anyway, what is going on? The announcer's voice sounded too frightened for us to be experiencing a 'slight problem,'" he said. Takagi and Satou looked at each other. "Well..."

Satou leaned over and whispered. "You see, Kudou-kun, one of the flight attendants found a threatening letter in the snack cart, and it says on this very plane, there is..." she looked around and lowered her voice even more. "...a bomb."

"What?" Shinichi gasped. This was serious. "But-"

"We reckon that it's a suicide bombing case, since everyone who checked in boarded the plane..." Takagi said. Shinichi nodded. "That's most likely it. So-did the letter give any hints at all to where the bomb is located?"

They shook their heads. Shinichi sighed. "Okay, what you guys need to do right now is-very inconspicuously-take a head count. _Make sure that everyone is still here._ Check with the flight attendants, ask them if anyone had left the plane before it took off-maybe they said that they forgot something and ran back quickly to get it. Meanwhile, I'll check out the threatening letter." Takagi and Satou nodded. "We're quite counting on you, Kudou-kun," Satou said. "Come on, Takagi-kun!"

Shinichi walked over the snack cart. "I guess this is where they found the letter," he said to himself. He pulled open the first tray-and there it was, a white envelope.

He took out his camera from his pocket A/N: Okay, so maybe he was wearing cargo pants, and the pockets can hold a lot of stuff... and snapped a picture of the envelope. Then, he pulled out the letter.

_"A bomb has been planted on this plane. With a slip of my finger, the whole place can be blown to smithereens, unless you can find me and do as I say."_

"Hmmm..." Shinichi pondered this. _The criminal has actually asked us to _find_ him. Could it be that he isn't a terrorist? _He turned the paper over, and-voilà, there was a string of tiny letters.

_"Every number only counts once."_

A grin appeared on Shinichi's face. _So that's it, huh? Well, I will solve this code before we even get to land in Salisbury! Just you watch!_

~          *            ~            *            ~

"Kudou-kun!" Takagi reported. "We did a head count, and everyone is here. Could it really be a suicide-bombing case?"

Shinichi shook his head. "Impossible," he replied. "Read this: 'unless you can find me and do as I say.' The target of this note is not to actually blow up the plane, but money.  We have a number of hostages here...everyone on this plane." He looked at the two police. "You. And me." Satou and Takagi's eyes widened. Shinichi nodded. "I found on the back of the paper a message that says: 'Every number only counts once.'"

"Well, what does that mean?" Takagi asked, confused.

"It's a code," Shinichi said. "A code that tells us how to comply with the criminal's request. Also, how many people did you tell about this threat letter?"

"Um..." Satou thought for a moment. "Well, there was the pilot and the co-pilot, of course, since we are going to land in Salisbury. And then, I told two flight attendants. Oh, here they come." She gestured to the two women approaching, one British and one Japanese. The British girl had shoulder-length blonde hair with curls at the ends, fair skin, and velvet grey eyes. The Japanese girl had straight, waist-length black hair and large, dark brown eyes. They both wore standard JapanAir stewardess suits, and they were about the same height and size. "Kudou-kun, these two ladies are Marina Carson and Yuki Carson. They're sister-in-laws," Satou introduced. "And this is Kudou Shinichi, a Japanese detective. He's quite good at deduction." She winked at him. Shinichi blushed. 

"Oh, hajimemashite," Shinichi said. Yuki smiled and replied "hajimemashite", but Marina looked confused. "Sorry," she apologized. "I don't understand Japanese very much. That's why I always have Yuki with me," she explained. "Yuki knows both English and Japanese well." A/N: "hajimemashite" means "nice to meet you"

"Oh," Shinichi said. "Sorry about that," he responded in English. "It's nice to meet you."

Marina smiled. "Nice to meet you too." 

"Do you mind if I ask you some questions?" Shinichi asked. They shook their heads. "Okay...first of all, about when did you discover the note?"

"Um..." they thought for a moment. "About twenty minutes ago, right?" Yuki asked Marina. "Yeah," she nodded. "About ten minutes before the announcement came on about the emergency landing."

"Did you tell anyone else about this note?" 

"No; only Yuki, my brother, and Mr. Tanaka know about this," Marina replied. "My brother is the pilot, and Mr. Tanaka is the co-pilot," she explained. Shinichi nodded and winced inwardly at the bad pronounciation of "Tanaka". She had used a schwa. 

"I see. Would it be possible for me to speak with them for a few minutes?"

Yuki nodded. "That's fine, I think. Follow me."

They went to the cockpit. Marina spoke to the pilots for a few moments and nodded to Shinichi.

Carson, the pilot (Yuki's husband and Marina's brother), was a handsome British man. He had brown hair as opposed to his blonde-haired sister, but they had the same grey eyes. Tanaka was Japanese, and he was slightly overweight. He wore thin-framed glasses. 

"Hello, Mr. Carson, Mr. Tanaka," Shinichi greeted. "My name is Kudou Shinichi, and I am a detective. I would like to ask you some questions about this bomb threat that we have received."

Tanaka nodded. "I had absolutely no clue," he replied. "We've contacted security at the London airport, and they're still searching the records. Everybody passed the metal detector, and all the luggage that was checked passed the x-rays. We don't know how it happened."

"It's a suicide bombing case, most likely then?" Carson asked. Shinichi hesitated to tell him the truth and just nodded with a "Hmm."

"So, neither of you had any clue about this until Miss Satou and Mr. Takagi told you about the note?" Shinichi asked.

"Yes," they replied in unison. "To be frank, I don't feel safe about landing in Salisbury at all," Carson confided. "If the person's target is a mass homocide, then we should land in some countryside."

"I agree," Shinichi said. "But it's the only way to not arouse suspicion. But I will find the bomber as soon as I can."

"It may not be soon enough," Tanaka said grimly. Shinichi only smiled and said, "Don't worry; there is always only one truth." He left the cockpit. 

_This is getting interesting._ Shinichi thought. Just then, another announcement came on.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we will be landing in Salisbury in approximately twenty minutes. Will everyone please fasten your seat belts and prepare for landing. Please make sure that your seat backs are straight."

Shinichi sighed, return to his seat, and looked at the threatening letter. _Every number only counts once...what the heck does that mean?_

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his head. He gasped. _Could it possibly be.? _he looked around the cabin. _If my hunch is right, then._

He knew what the message meant!

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Gah! It took me such a long time to get the prologue and the 1st chapter up. Sorry guys. This is my second fic! I think I've said this already but I wrote it in Algebra class! Yeah...so this is my thought process:

rational equations...lalala...oh yeah, rational equations...x=3...getting distracted...huh? teacher asked me a question? um...x=3...wrong? oh, sorry...yeah...next problem...destroying my binder...HEY! FANFIC IDEA!

lol, that was kind of funny. To me, anyway. . 

Yeah...I'll try to stop rambling so much. But it is too fun! Teehee. My friends, Sango-chan and Chii-chan are leaving me for the weekend to go to a retreat while I stay here and take a lovely music theory test *tear* I DESPISE MELODIC DICTATION WITH A DEEP PASSION! It took me forever and a day to get the actual idea of what when on...and I still don't get it. *sigh* I hope that I have nice judges. Heehee...that reminds me of Mrs. Belinkey. She was so awesome! I loved her Russian accent...okay, I'll shut up.

But not before I say...

REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!

(pretty please? ^_^)

Dômo arigatô gozaimasu!


	3. Waiting Room Case

Hi everyone! Welcome to yet another chapter of [Coming Home]! I think all of you have figured out what the story is about now, right? If you haven't.we need to talk.

What? You want me to stop rambling so that you can actually read this chapter? Okies! I'll just babble at the end ^_^ Tanoshinde kudasai!

**Disclaimer:** If only I owned Detective Conan.but I don't. *bursts into fits of sobs*

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Chapter 2 ~ The Waiting Room Case 

"Attention ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived in Salisbury. You will be shown to a luxury waiting room. Our problem should be fixed within an hour. We require you to stay in the waiting room until we ask you to board the plane. You will be given a coupon for a complimentary Japanair domestic flight ticket. It is our way to apologize to you for the delay, and to thank you for your patience and cooperation!"

Kudou Shinichi grinned at the announcement. He'd told Yuki that he would solve this case and find the criminal in one hour-and he believed that he could. In fact, he'd already cracked the mystery of the first message and found another note on seat 1C. Taped to the back of the seat was another note, which read, "Creed, Shinjite, Croix-can you find me now? Think think think!" Shinichi already had a hunch about it, but he needed to check something first.

The entire crew on the plane stepped off angrily. Some were talking on their cell phones, some were arguing with flight attendants, and one of them was even threatening to sue Japanair. "I swear, if you make me late for my daughter's wedding, I will kill you!" the woman shouted. "But not before I make you lose all your money, and your job, and your family, and your house, and-" She had to be ushered into the airport.

"This is the waiting room," an aiport worker said, showing everyone to a conference room in the airport hotel. "Please do not leave without informing us." All the people that where on the plane piled into the room, still angry and grumbling. Shinichi looked around.

There were three large couches and a big-screen TV in the center. There were two restrooms in the back, and a loveseat by the window. In the corner was a writing desk-that was Shinichi's target. He casually walked over to the desk and sat down in the chair. Very inconspicuously, he reached under the desktop and to his delight felt a slip of paper. He tugged it gently and heard the tearing of the tape. Upon opening the note, there was yet another message:

"Shanghai, China, Switzerland, France, Everest. This is your final message."

Shinichi frowned. This one had just as much gibberish as the others-but why didn't it follow the same pattern as the other two? He sighed and stared at the paper, trying to find out what it meant.

"China.Shanghai is the biggest city in China.but what do Switzerland and France have in common? And Everest.could this person be referring to Mt. Everest? But that's not in China.that's in Nepal.unless.no, they wouldn't." he muttered to himself. __

_But there's more to it than that,_ he thought. _How did the person know that we would be in this waiting room? There is no possible way! But what if-_ he gasped. _Then it can only be...one of those people! In fact, if my hunch is correct, then it can only be that person!_

_But why would that person do such a thing?_ he pondered. _I can't make any assumptions yet. I must observe more; but more importantly, I must find the evidence._

He signaled for Satou and Takagi to come over. "I already have some ideas about this bombing case. I found another message, which lead to this final message-" he showed them the final note, "-but I have no idea what it means yet. By the way, where are the four people that we told about the note?"

"Hmm?" Satou looked around. "Oh, Tanaka-san is watching television, Yuki and Marina are in the kitchen, eating, and Mr. Carson." She looked around some more. "I don't see Mr. Carson." Just then, the pilot stepped out of the restroom. "Oh, never mind, there he is."

Shinichi sighed in relief. _Thought that I'd lost sight of him_, he thought to himself. "That would've been bad," he muttered. "Listen," he said to Takagi and Satou. "We need to keep an eye on those four. I have good reason to believe that one of those is the perpetrator of this crime. Although I still haven't figured out his or her target, there is a possibility that this is more complicated than just an airplane bombing case."

The two detectives nodded. "We will," Takagi nodded. "But we had better solve this case quickly. Everyone is getting impatient."

Shinichi nodded. "No problem. There is always only one truth, after all." He grinned. "I _will_ get to the bottom of this!"

He walked over to Tanaka and said, "Tanaka-san, I still have some questions to ask. Would you spare me some of your time?" Tanaka agreed, and they went to a corner and lowered their voices to talk about the case.

"Tanaka-san, what do you think about this case?" Shinichi asked carefully, not wanting to tell any extra information. 

"Well..." Tanaka thought for a moment. "I think that it's actually quite scary, you know? With the letter and everything...did you find the other messages?" Shinichi nodded slowly. "The last one has me stumped, actually," he confessed. "So I'm trying to clear my head by not staring at that piece of paper." They both laughed. "Oh yeah, and has the airport security found the bomb yet?" Tanaka asked concernedly. Shinichi shook his head. "They're checking it right now. We may have to start checking the luggage..."

"But there wasn't anything showing in the x-rays, were there?" Tanaka asked. Shinichi shook his head. "No...well, thank you very much for cooperating, Tanaka-san. I'm sorry for interrupting your TV time." 

"No problem," Tanaka replied. He picked up his pilot's notebook, an old, tattered black binder, and returned to his spot on the couch.

Shinichi then approached Mr. Carson. _Somehow, I can't help thinking that he has something to do with this,_ he thought. "Hello, Mr. Carson. Would you mind if I asked you just a few more questions?" 

"Sure," Mr. Carson said with a friendly smile.

"Okay...is this the first time such a thing has ever happened? The threat letter, I mean?"

Mr. Carson thought for a moment. "Well, certainly not for Japanair. In fact-you do know that Japanair is fairly new, right?" he asked. Shinichi nodded. "There have been several people who are upset about this new airline. Threats were found, but none were quite as serious as this. As for me...I've never had this happen before. Before I became a pilot here, I worked as a co-pilot for Delta Airlines. I did have a hard time deciding whether to stay with Delta or coming here when I was hired...but then my sister made me take this job so that we could work in the same company." He laughed. "Strange way to make a decision, huh?" 

"What about Mr. Tanaka?"

"Tatsuya?" -again, Shinichi winced at the schwa- "He's been with Japanair ever since the beginning. He was qualified for pilot position, but for some reason he declined. I don't know why, and I've never mentioned it to him. I didn't want to make the conversation uncomfortable, I guess. I'm sure he wants to be pilot, because he's always so eager to make test flights and such. I don't know much about him, actually. He's a very easygoing guy."

"How did you meet Yuki?"

"Well, my sister and Yuki have been friends since Jr. High, so I've always seen her around the house and everything. We've never actually talked until we started working together on this flight. She's so smart, you know? I still can't speak a lot of Japanese, and listen to her! Perfect English _and_ Japanese...amazing, isn't it? We got married two years ago-two years after we both started working here."

"And your sister? Was she offered a job here as well?"

"Yes. Both of us were given the offer at the same time. She was so excited; being a flight attendant is her dream. She's very outgoing and just very friendly. We get along pretty well, actually, unlike a lot of siblings."

"What does she think about your marriage?"

"Oh, she thinks that it's awesome, because now she's sisters with Yuki. They're best friends, you know."

"Well...I think that's all my questions for now, Mr. Carson. Thank you so much." Shinichi stood up to leave.

"Oh you're very welcome. But actually, I think-" Suddenly, something came on over the radio.

"Mr. Bertie Carson, Mr. Tatsuya Tanaka, Mrs. Yuki Carson, and Miss Marina Carson of flight 404, please report to the engine room. Over."

Carson spoke into his radio, "Roger." He turned to Tanaka. "Let's go, Tatsuya."

Tanaka nodded. They grabbed their pilot's notebooks and left together. Shinichi returned to figuring out the code. Thirty minutes later, he still hasn't figured it out. "What the _heck_ is it?!?" he grumbled in frustration.

Suddenly, the code became clear to him. "Could it be?" he gasped. "Shi-shi ne?" A/N: NO, it's not "shine", it's shi ne, the Japanese word for DIE.

At that moment, Tanaka burst back into the room. "Kudou-san!" he panted. "Kudou-san, we-we can't find Carson anywhere!" Yuki and Marina came in at the same time, also breathless from running.

"What?" Shinichi stood up so fast that his chair nearly fell over. _Could it be..._

"We must find him!" he declared. "Satou-san, Takagi-san, please help us. We MUST find Mr. Carson as soon as possible!"

The four of them took off. On the elevator down to the main floor, Tanaka told the whole story:

"Yuki-chan, Miss Marina, and myself were in the control tower. We were called down there to test the aircraft controls, make sure that they haven't been tampered. Carson was the only one down in the craft. When nothing would respond to the radio-overs, we went down to the aircraft, and he was gone."

Shinichi pondered this. "How long does it take to get from the control tower to the aircraft?"

"About ten to fifteen minutes, I guess," Marina replied. Yuki and Tanaka nodded in agreement. "But the transportation cart was a lot faster today," she added, "So I guess ten minutes at the most."

"Hmm. Is that so."

The four of them checked every possible place that Carson could be. They ran through the airport, looking in every restroom, restaurant, waiting room, shop-anywhere and everywhere. But after twenty minutes, they haven't even gone through one terminal.

Finally, they stopped. "This is taking _way_ too long," Shinichi said. 

"Um, if I may make a suggestion." Yuki said quietly. "Why don't we split up?" she asked. "We can all carry radios with us, and if one of us finds him, the others can be informed immediately."

Shinichi looked at the others, who nodded. "All right," he agreed. "We can do that." Tanaka provided radios for everyone, and they split up.

Shinichi started to follow one of them, but after a few turns lost sight of that person. "Kuso!" he cursed to himself. "This is a mistake," he muttered. "If I'm not wrong, then."

Suddenly, Yuki's scream could be heard over the radio.

"Yuki-chan!" Tanaka immediately replied. "What's wrong?"

"I-I found him," Yuki's voice was trembling. "He's dead," she whispered. "At least I think he is.he's lying on the ground in a pool of blood."

"What!?!" Marina and Shinichi shouted at the same time. "Where are you? Where-where is he?"

"I'm in the control tower." She was now sobbing. "S-second floor," she gasped.

Shinichi broke into a run. _No, no_, he thought. _It can't be!_

He arrived at the tower last. Marina was backing away from the door, eyes widened in shock. Yuki was trying to get to Carson, but Tanaka was holding her back. "No, Yuki! We should just contact the police!" he was saying as Shinichi arrived.

He gasped at the sight. There was Bertie Carson, lying the ground, with a knife stuck in his back, lying in pools of blood.

_Kuso!_ He thought. _How dare this person kill someone in front of me? I WILL find the killer, no matter what! I WILL reveal the truth!_

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*sigh* Whew! Finally I finished this chapter! It's been taking me so long. Well, that's because I haven't had very much time to do a lot of stuff, I guess. So, I guess you'll have wait a bit longer for chapters! School's been very busy, and next week I'll be having finals~~ugh. So, I suppose that I won't be updating for a while, huh? I think that I'll be writing in a notebook, so that I don't have to, you know, have a computer whenever I want to write. Isn't that convenient?

This story is harder to write than I imagined! I now understand how difficult it is for Aoyama-sensei to think up murder plots! He truly is a genius. If you can figure out the murderer, feel free to email me your ideas! I think I pretty much gave it away, ne?

Oh well, by the way, remember that Ran is still waiting for Shinichi!

Please guys, I need reviews! They motivate me!!!!! 

REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW

~pretty please? ^_^

Arigatou gozaimasu!!!


	4. Finding the Murderer

Minna konnichi wa! This is the 3rd chapter of [Coming Home], my 2nd Detective Conan fanfic. Do you guys like it so far? I hope so! I haven't been very good about updating this story. *sigh* Schoolwork, schoolwork, schoolwork...

Omigosh, did you guys hear the awful, sad news? FUNimation Productions, who is producing the English version of Detective Conan, totally changed EVERYTHING of the series! First of all, our beloved anime is no longer called, "Detective Conan", but "Case Closed". Also, the characters' names are changed! Kudou Shinichi = Jimmy Kudo. Mouri Ran = Rachel Moore. Thank God that Conan's name won't be changed. I think that I would cry if he was called...Conan Smith or something like that. Ugh, I'm about to cry anyway...gimme my Shinichi back, FUNi!!

Arg, that's just angrifying (yup, that's my own special word ^_^) But other than that, everything is just fine and dandy...lalala...enjoy the chapter!

**Disclaimer:** If you donate a lot of money to me, I will BUY the copyrights of Detective Conan! Then I wouldn't have to say "I don't own Detective Conan" anymore! But for the meantime, I don't own Detective Conan...

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**Chapter 4 ~ Finding the Murderer**

Shinichi searched for a pulse: nothing. He turned around, looked at Yuki, Marina, and Tanaka, and slowly shook his head.

_Who did this?_ Shinichi wanted to shout, staring at Carson's bloody figure. _Who the heck has enough guts to take the life of another human being?_ But of course, he couldn't say that in front of two sobbing flight attendants and a pale, shocked co-pilot. Instead, he turned on his cell phone and called Takagi.

"Moshi moshi?" Takagi answered.

"This is Kudou," Shinichi said. He gravely informed the policeman about Carson's death. Takagi and Satou immediately headed over to the control room.

He then turned to Yuki and Tanaka. "Would you two please go and find the head of the Airport Security, please?"

"But," Yuki protested, "they're all working on the hijack case right now—"

"I DON'T CARE!" Shinichi shouted. "Just go! Tell them that someone has been _murdered!_ That should make them make a mad dash for this tower!"

Tanaka nodded, grabbed Yuki's arm, and they left the room. Marina asked feebly what she should do, and Shinichi just sighed and said, "Regain yourself, okay? The police will ask you a lot of questions soon." She nodded. "May I go use the restroom?"

"Wait until the police get here, and I will have someone accompany you. For now, just stay put."

After taking care of her, Shinichi began the investigations. _Hmm...he's definitely dead of that stab in the back, that's for sure. If he was stabbed AFTER death, the blood wouldn't have splattered everywhere. The handle of the knife looks quite normal; I don't think there's been a booby trap planted here...huh? Red marks around his neck?_

Indeed, there were some strange markings on Carson's neck. It looks like he's been strangled by a rope of some kind. _I get it...he was strangled to lose consciousness, and then stabbed to death...which means, when he was strangled, he was still awake...and that means he would have struggled with the murderer._

He looked at the victim's fingernails. "Aha!" he whispered. There was something underneath his nails. It was a black, plastic-like substance. "What _is_ this stuff...?" he murmured. "Oh well, better wait until the forensics team gets here."

As he spoke that, Satou and Takagi showed up with seven members of the Salisbury Airport Security, all panting. Yuki and Tanaka were leading them.

"Oh my..." Satou said when she saw Carson. "Takagi-kun..." Takagi nodded. 

"Hello," a man introduced himself to Shinichi in English. "My name is Etou, assistant chief of the British airport security." 

Shinichi shook Etou's hand. "I am Kudou Shinichi," he replied. "I'm a Japanese detective; I was returning to my home in Tôkyô when this case happened."

Etou nodded. "I see...well, the forensics team should be arriving any moment, so—" Just then, the forensics team showed up. "Ah, just in time," Etou said. "Now, why don't you tell me about this case, from beginning to end."

So, Shinichi, Takagi, and Satou told him the entire thing—how the plane was threatened by a bomb, how Shinichi found those messages, and how after he figured out the final message—shi ne (to die) –when Tanaka burst in with the news that Carson was missing. 

"According to my deductions," Shinichi said, "the notes and hijack threat were just a cover-up, with the true intention as murdering Mr. Carson." 

Etou nodded. "Well, who could have set this up?"

Shinichi lowered his voice. "The only four who know about the threatening letter are Mrs. Carson, the victim's wife, Miss Marina, the victim's younger sister, and Mr. Tanaka, the co-pilot of the plane. Well, and Mr. Carson, of course…I believe that the murderer must have been one of them. Only the four were involved with setting up the waiting room and everything here; only someone who would have known in advance that they would stop in Salisbury would set up a note there."

Etou frowned. "What were the messages, anyway?"

The young detective's face lit up with joy, as if he'd been waiting for someone to ask that question. "Well, you see, the first message was written on the back of the threatening letter, you see. It read, 'Every number only counts once.' I've seen my share of strange notes…after pondering, I found that it wanted me to go to seat 1C. Why? Let me show you.

"You see, you must take the first letter of the first three words: E for Every, N for Number, and O for Only. Then, spell E-N-O out backwards—one, right? The first letter of the word Count is C, so it must be somewhere on seat 1C. The first TWO letters of the last word, Once, is on. Therefore, the next message is on seat 1C.

"The next message, Creed, Shinjite, and Croix takes the same pattern—but you must look at the last letters of the words. It spells D-E-X. Doesn't make much sense, does it? But what if you reversed the pronouciation of X? Then it would say—"

"DESK!" Etou exclaimed. "I understand now. That's quite smart, actually! Well, what about the third message?"

"The third message was the most difficult to figure out. It read, Shanghai, China, Switzerland, France, Everest. I figure that the criminal was still using letter-play. What you do for this one is…you take the first letter of the first word, second letter of the second word, third letter of the third word, etc…and you get 'shi ne.'"

"Wow!" Takagi and Satou exclaimed. "You're amazing, Kudou-kun!" Satou said admiringly. Shinichi blushed slightly and said, "Nah, it's nothing big…"

Suddenly he remembered something. "Oh my gosh!" he exclaimed. "Could it be—"

_It all makes sense then, if that person was the murderer,_ he thought. _So that's why that person said that thing back then…it just slipped out, I guess. But what about the thing that this person used to strangle Carson? It must have been disposed of…but nevertheless, it doesn't hurt to search a bit._

"Mrs. Carson, Miss Marina, Mr. Tanaka," Shinichi said. "We have to interrogate you."

"Interrogate?" Yuki repeated. "Why?"

"Because...I have good reason to suspect that the murderer of this man right here is one of—" Shinichi pointed "—you three!"

They all gasped. Marina laughed weakly. "C-come on, Mr. Kudou," she said. "It couldn't be US! We were the people closest to Bertie. We _couldn't_ have killed him! Right...? Yuki? Mr. Tanaka?"

They nodded in agreement. Shinichi shook his head.

"Only the four of you were involved in planning the waiting room, correct? And do you know what I found in the waiting room? A message, from the killer. Yes, that means that whoever is the criminal had planned this for a while. It must be one of you."

"So," Etou cut in, "we're going to have to search your possessions. Would you mind emptying your purses and pockets, please?" The three suspects obeyed willingly. 

"Now, we have some questions for you. First of all, where were you when you were informed of Mr. Carson's death, Mr. Tanaka and Miss Marina?"

"I was in Terminal D," Tanaka said. "We all split up to look for Carson."

"And I was in Terminal B," Marina replied.

"You discovered the body of your husband, Mrs. Carson?"

"Yes." 

"Hmm...has the victim been in an argument with any of you recently?"

"No." They all shook their heads.

"Thank you." The police and Shinichi began to examine the objects. Tanaka had his old pilot's notebook, a pen, a handkerchief, a flight emergency kit, and his wallet, which had some credit cards and a ten-pound note.

Yuki had a silver watch, her nametag, keys, twenty pounds, the first volume of the manga _Kodocha_, and a necklace with a broken clasp. Marina had two pens, a mini-clipboard, a novel, some change, and her keys on a string that could be worn around the neck.

_Huh? There's nothing that resembles the thing I found in Mr. Carson's fingernails. It could be essential to the investigation! What IS it? It's the key to finding the evidence!_

At that moment, the forensics team showed up. "We've analyzed the strange substance under the victim's nails, and it is made of plastic. As to what it belongs to, we're not sure yet."

_Plastic? Then I WAS right after all,_ thought Shinichi. _But then..._ Suddenly, one of the suspect's possessions caught his eye. "Sogga! Soudattanda! And if I'm not mistaken, that thing will be..." he whispered for Satou and Takagi to distract the suspects with some more questions, and he searched one of the suspect's bags. A triumphant grin appeared on his face. 

"I've finally figured it out..." he declared. "The murderer is...you!" he shouted, pointing at one of the suspects. 

=======================================

MWAHAHAHA!!! You don't get to find out who the murderer is...at least not until I have my next chapter up. That's what you get for not reviewing! Please, people, I want reviews! I'm deeply saddened that there are only THREE reviews so far for Chapter 2 of this story. Come on, guys! I want reviews!

So, no reviews, no finding out who the murderer is.

And for those kind-hearted folk who did review...(this is a response for everyone who has reviewed so far)

**I am Sango:** Yayness! Anta wa [first reviewer] desu! Arigatou gozaimasu!! Yesh, when I got the idea, I was SoOoOoO excited! Thank you for reading!

**Ke:** Thank you for reading and reviewing! Conan ROCKS!

**Eulene:** I've updated...but you haven't reviewed for any other chapters! *tear* please review!

**Maggie:** Yay! Thank you for reading and reviewing! Ooh, I hope that you will review for [Mysterious Truth]! I love reviews. (By the way, is Let's Stay Together, Itsumo) written by you?

**Meitantei Conan:** Thanks for reviewing & liking the story! BTW, if you write a story, please tell me & I will read it!


	5. Only One Truth

Hey everybody! I'm in a particularly good mood right now ^_^ so I'm going to write, write, write! I am SOOO happy that I got so many reviews for Chapter 3! *dances around happily* Thank you guys! (Review responses at the bottom.)

By the way, I am so totally excited about the 8th movie, Magician of the Silver Sky, coming out! (Isn't everybody?) I'll put a brief description of it (from Shonen Sunday...I don't have it; I got it from a website) at the end of the chapter, okay?

Maintenant, continuons avec l'histoire!

**Disclaimer:** Who says I don't own Detective Conan? Of course I do! *stampede of lawyers* Okay...maybe I don't...*keels over*

* * *

**Chapter 4 ~ Only One Truth**

"The murder is...you!" Shinichi shouted, pointing at Tanaka.

"W-what?" Tanaka laughed weakly. "What are you talking about, Kudou-san? How would I commit murder?"

"I know what I'm talking about, Tanaka-san," Shinichi said, full of confidence. "So, if you will listen to my deductions..."

Everyone stood up straight to listen. Satou and Takagi actually stepped closer to hear better, even though it probably wouldn't have made a difference; the room was so silent that one could hear a pin drop.

"When the four of you were called to the control tower, you probably slipped a note to Mr. Carson, telling him to meet you on the second floor—and to make sure that no one sees him. When everyone noticed that he was missing, you specifically searched the room that he was hiding in—in fact, you probably searched the entire second floor. Am I right, Mrs. Carson, Miss Marina?"

They nodded. "Yes. He was telling us to search the first and third floors, and that he would take care of second floor." Tanaka's eyes widened in anger and shock.

"So, you came to us in the waiting room, asking us to find him. It was then that something unexpected happened—and this threw me off greatly—Yuki asked us to split up and find him.

"I was utterly confused by that. I thought that Yuki was the murderer for a while—after all, only the murderer would suggest such a thing! She also had a rope—the broken necklace. But no, she was no murderer. She only suggested that because she wanted to find her husband quickly. But you were shouting with happiness inside, weren't you? This way, you can throw the suspicion off of yourself.

"I made this mistake, then. I followed Yuki instead of you when we were searching for Mr. Carson. But after a few turns, I lost her—and after a few moments, she found the victim. Wasn't that perfect timing, then, for her to commit the crime? But you've already killed him, haven't you? As soon as we split up, you drove one of the airport carts that you've prepared to the control tower. 

"When you got there, Mr. Carson's back was facing you. So, you strangled him until he fell unconscious. Then, with a knife that you've probably already stashed in the room, you stabbed him to his death." Shinichi took a deep breath and looked at Tanaka in the eye. "Am I right, Tanaka-san?" he asked in Japanese.

Tanaka looked shocked at this string of deduction, but he recovered quickly. "Oh, come on, Mr. Kudou!" he laughed weakly. "I wouldn't do that! Mr. Carson is one of my good friends! We've been hanging out ever since we've started working together. Besides, where is that rope that was used to strangle Carson with, anyway? And why would I kill him?"

"The strangling weapon, you say?" Shinichi grinned triumphantly. "Why don't we look inside that pocket of your pilot's notebook?"

Tanaka's eyes widened. He never would have guessed that this detective would be so intelligent.

"Yes…inside that pocket is a thin, long plastic rope. You see, I knew that it wasn't Mrs. Carson when the forensics team told us that the material under the victim's fingernails—which got there as a result of his struggling, mind you—was plastic. And on top it all, it was plastic. So, I began to examine the items. I was surprised, Tanaka-san, that your notebook is so tattered when Mr. Carson's binder was still brand-new. Then, I noticed that it was only the edges of your binder that was so frayed. Hence, I deducted that you had torn off the edges of the binder cover and—strangled him. That was your weapon. If you look in the pocket, Mr. Etou, you should find the edge of the binder that was peeled off."

Etou quickly moved over to the table where all the suspects' belongings were. He looked inside the binder pocket and indeed found a thin, long plastic string.

"So THIS was your weapon, eh?" Etou said. 

"W-wait!" Tanaka protested. "That's just because my binder is tattered. You have no—"

"It's too late, Tanaka-san," Shinichi said sadly. "The type of material that makes your binder matches exactly, fiber to fiber, with the material found under the victim's fingernails. I'm sorry, Tanaka-san, but your plan to kill him did not work. You are the murderer. Just admit it."

Tanaka's knees gave away and he fell to the ground, a hopeless, faithless smile on his face. "I...I guess I lost, after all..." he said weakly. Then, he began his story.

"The first day that Carson, his sister, and her friend came to work for this company, I've been in love with Yuki. Her beauty, her kindness, her smile...everything about her was everything to me.

"Carson knew that! We were such close friends that I told him everything. I told him about how much I love her, how much I wanted to marry her. He was ever so supportive about our relationship, too...I really thought that I had a chance with her...

"But then..." Tanaka's voice filled with rage. "Then, that man stabbed me in the back and stole her from me! It was the day that I was to confess my love. I told him excitedly that it was going to be my day. That afternoon, when I asked her to be my girlfriend..."

_*FLASHBACK*_

_"Oh, hello, Tanaka-san," Yuki said, her face glowing with happiness._

_"Um...Yuki-chan...w-will you...be my...girlfriend?" Tanaka stammered, his cheeks turning red._

_"Oh..." Yuki blushed as well. "Well, Bertie just asked me out this morning, and I already agreed...I'm sorry, Tanaka-san...we can still be friends, right?"_

_Tanaka's entire body was in shock. His reply, "yes", was so automatic. He felt numb..._

_Then, anger._

_*END OF FLASHBACK*_

"I had to take my revenge on that savage!" Tanaka shouted. "He stole the thing I loved the most...he betrayed me, so I stabbed him in the back!" He suddenly stood up and grabbed Yuki. "Did you know that, Yuki-chan? Did you? Do you still love that...that beast?"

Yuki stepped back and slapped him on the cheek. "I can't believe you!" she said quietly. "If you truly love me, why can't you let me be happy?" she asked. "Why...?" Her eyes filled with tears. "Why are you leaving me all by myself in this world...why did you take him away from me?" she cried. "Why...?"

Tanaka's eyes widened, as if he just realized what he did to the girl he loved. Tears streamed down his cheeks. Tears of anger and frustration and sadness. "I'm...so sorry, Yuki-chan," he whispered, reaching out to embrace her one last time. "I only wish...that I could have given you two my blessings instead of my hatred." 

Instead of stepping back like everyone expected, Yuki let him hug her. "Tanaka-san...I can never speak to or even look at you again. I want you to know that." Her voice was soft but determined. 

"But...I also want you to know...that I forgive you for what you did...because...it's the only thing that I can do for you. I cannot let hatred grow in my heart, like it grew in yours."

Tanaka nodded, smiled, and whispered, "Thank you." Then, he let the police take him away. Just before he exited the room, he turned around and asked, 

"Kudou-san?"

"Yes?"

"How did you suspect that it was me?"

"Well, first of all, you asked me if I found and decoded the messages when I haven't told you about them," Shinichi said. "Also, you immediately knew that Carson was dead when we found him. You shouted that it was too late...how else would you know, aside from that you were the murderer?"

Tanaka nodded. "I guess I just wasn't careful enough, huh?"

Shinichi shook his head. "No...it's just because...there is always only one truth."

* * *

There! How's that for a conclusion of the crime? If you liked it, please review! If you didn't...well, just don't flame TOO badly, okay? I've found out that I'm quite sensitive... ^_^

Oh yeah, about the 8th movie...

From Shonen Sunday 11 (newest issue) (ah, no, I don't have it):  
Some 8th movie story/plot details:  
  
Popular Japanese actress named Maki Juri visits Kogoro. She asks Korogo to protect her jewelry called, "Star Sapphire" (Jewl of Destiny) from Kaitou Kid. She tells him that she got an announcement from Kaitou Kid.  
  
Next day, Conan, Ran, Kogoro and Shonentantei-dan visit the theatre place. Kogoro suspects that Kid will come on the last day of her theatre show to steal it. Conan doesn't think so. Anyway, with his own reasoning, Conan waits for Kid to show up... but it isn't Kid who shows up, it's... Shinichi!!  
  
Of course, Conan knows he is not the real Shinichi. But then Conan would have to reveal his secret to let others (Ran etc...) how he knows it's really Kid. And Kid knows that... He asks Ran to spend private time with him...  
  
Anyway, the show starring that actress begins. How can Conan protect her jewelry from Kid who is disguised to Shinichi?  
  
Somehow this gets to that plane hyjacking...  
  
Aiuchi Rina is doing the film's song.

That's all I've got...sorry. I'll post as SOON as there are more updates! 

**Review Responses:**

**bepinette****:** Thank you for liking my story! I was hoping that I could create a suspenseful effect with my writing! I hope that you'll keep reading, and thanks for the review!

**Eulene:** Heehee...I'm personally very fond of cliffhangers ^_^ Thank you for reviewing!

**chalicity****:** Thanks! I was just sitting in Algebra very bored, and BAM I thought up a mystery! Thanks for the review!

**choco-flavour****:** You will know what happens to Shinichi and Ran in the epilogue, which should be up...as soon as my finals are over *tear* why must there be such cruel things such as finals??? Thank you for reviewing!

**Applejack:** Yeah...that was pretty much my reaction when I found out *dreaded music plays* the news...

**Ke:** Thanks! Did you figure out who the murderer is???

**I am Sango:** Congrats on getting the Internet! Thanks for reviewing!!! ^_^

**Thalia-wong:** Nope, the murderer is not Yuki! Good guess though~~that was almost Shinichi's guess!

**hi****:** Yup, I guess you just found out who it is!

PLEASE~

REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!

And there will be an epilogue up...soon!!!

~Meitantei Lili, signing out~


	6. Tadaima

Hey guys! Ugh, sorry that it took me so long to update! I had finals, and right after the last final, I went out of town from Thursday ~ Saturday night! And then, a new semester (well, we call them trimesters—sounds like stages of a pregnancy .) started, and it's all been very confusing...

So what I'm trying to say is, I'm sorry for not updating! Well, here's the final chapter—the epilogue—of [Coming Home]! Thanks to all for your support and reviews! I love you guys!

P.S. Don't expect this to be long...my prologues and epilogues are usually short. 

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Detective Conan...but I could...in an alternate reality...somehow...possibly...

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**Epilogue ~ "Tadaima"**

A very tired Shinichi stepped off the plane, only to find a very angry and worried Ran.

"BAKA!" was the first word out of her mouth as soon as she saw him. "Why the heck did it take you so long? Do you know how worried I've been? I checked the information desk at least twenty thousand times, asking them if something had happened to your flight. Th-they wouldn't tell me anything..." Tears welled up in her eyes. 

"I'm sorry, Ran!" Shinichi said quickly. "I had—"

"—a case to solve," she finished for him. "I knew it." She smiled at him weakly.

They looked at each other for a few moments, not saying anything. Then, Shinichi burst out. "Thanks."

Ran stared at him. "For...?"

"For waiting," he replied. She smiled. "I told you," she whispered. "I'd wait forever..."

Shinichi pulled her into an embrace. "Tadaima," he whispered in her ear. She nodded. 

"Yes...you're finally home."

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Well, that was all! You guys can imagine how their relationship went after that. Hopefully you think that everything went well, they got married, had a kid and named him Conan!!! Heehee...oh, and of course, Haibara—erm, Shiho—finds her one true love too, of course! Can't leave her hanging, right? I know that I always make my stories S/R, but trust me, I DO like Ai! She's just so...cool. Anyway, yeah, there's my two cents...make that five cents.

PLEASE REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW

Thank you! *sweet smile*

**Eulene:** I agree! Shinichi does rock! Yeah…I've always wanted to end a story with "There is always only one truth", because it's the best quote ever! Thanks for reading & reviewing!

**I am Sango:** Yayness! Inu-Yasha watching ACTION! Thanks for reviewing! 

**Ke:** REALLY? Aww, thanks! Heehee, if only Aoyama-sensei could like it…I understand now how difficult it is for him to think up these things! Gee whiz! Well, thanks fo reviewing! 


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